Nashua mother indicted in the death of son, 2

By KIMBERLY HOUGHTONUnion Leader Correspondent

NASHUA — Several indictments have been handed up against a Nashua mother charged with manslaughter in the beating death of her 2-year-old son.

Unique S. Gould, 21, of 8 Ash Court, has been indicted by a Hillsborough County Superior Court grand jury on seven charges including manslaughter, first and second-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child for the April 25 incident at her home.

.Police allege that Gould repeatedly hit her son, Devon Gould, on the buttocks and head on April 25. After the child went to sleep shortly thereafter, he slept for up to 20 hours before Unique Gould placed him in the shower and shook him in an attempt to wake the toddler, according to prosecutors...Gould eventually called 911, but only after roommates and family members said they would call themselves if Gould didn’t take action, according to prior court testimony.

The child was then rushed to the hospital for immediate medical attention, and was subsequently placed on life support, according to family members. The boy’s father decided to end life support two weeks later...Devon, who turned 2 in March, had suffered a serious brain injury, significant head trauma and intracranial bleeding because of the assault, according to court records.

Following the assault, Gould was interviewed by two detectives, at which time she allegedly acknowledged spanking her son on April 25, the day before emergency crews arrived at her home, court documents said...“She admitted that she struck (him) numerous times on his buttocks, and confirmed that she also struck him in the head with her hand. Gould made admissions that she ‘blacked out’ at one point, and admitted to hitting (him) very hard,” says a police affidavit filed by Det. Marc Anderson...Police have refused to comment on whether Gould may have been impaired at the time of the alleged assault.

The newest indictments accuse Gould of striking the child numerous times on his head, face and buttocks, which caused the brain injuries and bruising. The indictments also allege that she failed to seek medical attention for an extended period of time, and placed the child in a corner with his hands behind his back and legs spread for an extended time...Gould’s public defense attorney, Anthony Sculimbrene, previously described this as a “very sad case.” In a prior statement, Sculimbrene said his client asserts her innocence.

“She is devastated by the child’s death. We will litigate every aspect of the case,” he said following her arrest...According to Sculimbrene, Gould has no prior criminal convictions. However, the attorney says he has represented Gould in the past but did not elaborate on those cases.khoughton@newstote.com..